Dear colleagues and Mr Fish:



The question (attached below) brings to mind a handful of films from 

that postwar era which even had an element of CRITICISM of consumerist 

culture.  Or, at least, critical of the hard-sell approach of the marketers, 

advertisers, etc.:



"The Hucksters" (based on F Wakeman's novel, 1948);



"Executive Suite" (based on C Hawley's novel, 1954);



"Man in the Gray Flannel Suit" (based on S Wilson's novel, 1956);



"Face in the Crowd" (script by B Schulberg, 1957);



"Madison Avenue" (directed by B Humberstone, 1962).



I suppose these films (and source books) may be the exact opposite 

of what Fish is seeking.  Other respondents probably will come up 

with plenty of better suggestions...



Best wishes to all,

Steven P Hil,

University of Illinois.

___________________________________________________________________ 



Date: Sat 1 Dec 00:00:40 CST 2007

From: <[log in to unmask]>   

Subject: SCREEN-L Digest - 28 Nov 2007 to 30 Nov 2007 (#2007-188) 

To: [log in to unmask] 

Date:    Thu, 29 Nov 2007 01:39:44 -0800

From:    Adam Fish <[log in to unmask]>

Subject: Class in 50s Cinema



Film Scholars,

I need to make connections between the late-1940s-1950s rise of the

consumerist class, the class of the producers/directors of the

musicals/epics/spectaculars of that era, and/or a class explanation

for what appears on screen in the 1950s. I am connecting 1950s class

to cinema production culture and/or screen events. Can you recommend a

book or person to talk to? Was all the musical and spectacular excess

of the period an accurate representation of buying power or

aspirations for future commodity excess?

Yours,

Adam Fish

UCLA: Anthropology, PhD student

Current TV, VC2 Producer

____________________________________________________________________



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